13. OSCAR Resources

Chapter Contents

[1] About oscarResource | [2] Contributing to the oscarResource Database

Table of Contents

[1] About OscarResource

OscarResource is a web-based clinical resource database that is maintained by contributors from across the country.  (For information about becoming a contributor yourself, see below).  It contains links to websites that are relevant to actual clinical practice, and is constantly being updated with the latest information on medicine and other relevant topics.

ACCESS

You can access oscarResource in three different ways:

• Go directly to http://resource.oscarmcmaster.org/oscarResource
• From the Appointment Screen, click on the "Resources" tab
• From a patient's Encounter screen, click on the "resources" link under the "Clinical Resources" heading on the left

FINDING INFORMATION

There are several ways you can use oscarResource to find the information you are looking for. 

• From the main page, type in the topic you wish to read about into the Resource Search text field.  Click "Search".
• Click the "Advanced Search" link, and search by tag (i.e. by topic) or by user
• Look through the Most Popular and Newest Links, as well as the Most Popular Tags in the left-hand navigation bars

Once you have found a link that you would like to visit, you can either:

• Click the Upwards Arrow on the right of the link title to open the page in a new window
• OR Click the World symbol (or the link title itself) to access the page in the same window

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[2] Contributing to the OscarResource Database

ABOUT DEL.ICIO.US

del.icio.us is a website where users can keep a systematic list of their favourite links and bookmarks.  As a user, you can keep your links organized using a tagging system, placing each link under any number of categories in order to find it later.  Your set of links are available for others to view and you can find more websites about topics you enjoy by looking through others' lists.

The OSCAR resource website uses the del.icio.us accounts of contributors as its source for all the information in its database.  ANYONE can contribute.  The database's effectiveness as a clinical resource improves with each new user's links and files.

For more information on how del.icio.us works, click here.

STEP 1- CREATING A DEL.ICIO.US ACCOUNT

If you wish to contribute, you first need to register and create an account with del.icio.us.  Follow all the registration instructions as prompted.

• When choosing a username and password, pick something that you won't mind if other people see.  Do NOT use a password that you also use for other more secure sites.
• Make sure you install the two toolbar buttons when prompted.  These are essential for using del.icio.us.
  

STEP 2- CREATING AN OSCARRESOURCE ACCOUNT

Go to the oscarResource website to create a user account.  This account will be used to automatically add all of your oscarResource links to the database.

1. Click the "Sign Up" link under the heading "Join Us" on the main page.
   
2. Fill out the registration form.  You do not have to use your del.icio.us name and password, but you can if you don't want to remember two sets of passwords.
3. In the upper right hand corner of the screen, another link has appeared named "Account Settings".  Click on this link.
4. In the text box labelled "Import links with tags:" write the name(s) of the del.icio.us tag(s) you have predetermined to be used only for sites that you wish to be added to oscarResource.  Good tags to use include: oscarResource, OSCAR, oscaradd
5. Click "Save"
   

STEP 3-ADDING OSCAR RESOURCE LINKS

When you find a website or page that contains information you feel could be helpful to OSCAR users (for example: a page on a new medication or the results of a medical research study), you can add it to your del.icio.us account.

1. Click your "post to del.icio.us" or "tag this" button (depending on what browser you are using)
2. Write any notes that may help others understand what the site is about
3. Most importantly, type in one-word tags that you think categorize the page.  In order to add your links to the OSCAR resource database, you must include your special oscarResource tag that you identified in Step 2.
   

• As you start adding links, your special oscarResource tag will show up as a "Recommended Tag" when you add other links.  This means that you won't have to remember and type in the tag every time.  Instead you can just click on the tag and it will be entered automatically.  This applies to all commonly used tags.
  
• Once you have added a link with your oscarResource tag, it will be added to the oscarResource database by the following day.
  

STEP 4- MANAGING YOUR LINKS IN OSCAR

After your links have been added to the oscarResource database, you may have reason to delete them (for example, if you added them accidentally or the link no longer works).

1. Log into your oscarResource account.
   
2. To view all of the links that you added, click on the "Advanced Search" link next to the "Search" button on the main page.
3. Find and select your user name from the "Search Users" list, then click the "Search" button.
4. Click the red X beside any link you wish to delete from the database.
   

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